Wednesday, December 21, 2016
#389 Bill Rigney Manager
Assumed the role of manager over for 17 consecutive
seasons serving three franchises...best mark at the time next to Walt Alston....Twins
were his 3rd club....Was a player in NY Giants organization....and
regular for a couple of seasons...eventually lost playing and was offered the
skipper spot in the Giant’s AAA team in Minneapolis...won the league
championship in second year....earned the dugout executive spot for NY Giants
1956....two losing records despite the return of Willie Mays...Went west with
the team....More success came with the emergence of young new talent; McCovey,
Cepeda, F. Alou....unfairly, despite winning record, was dismissed
midseason...took his talents down US Highway 1 to expansion Los Angeles
Angels....the typical rocky first year struggles blossomed to an exceptional
sophomore season...based on strong pitching finished third with 86 wins....a
high point...continued for most of the 1960’s....his 1970 season was the only
one to make postseason although the Twins were easily shot down in flames by the Orioles in the ALCS....Breakdown in pitching and injuries eliminated
subsequent the 1971 edition of the Twins...fired mid 1972....took on Bay Area
scouting...brought back by Giants for 1976....met with very little success with a
74-88 season...A glib and talkative story teller who also suffered stomach ulcers
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Rig was a local boy from Alameda, CA. and was known as "The Cricket" because of his constant "chirping" at opposing players from his infield position. Not a big guy but a skilled trash-talker with a feisty nature. He was a good manager with excellent communication skills and ability to teach and motivate. Giants owner, Horace Stoneham, later admitted that firing Rigney was the biggest mistake he ever made. After his second stint managing the Giants he became a wonderful addition to the Oakland Athletics broadcast team.
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing. So many times a manager was a player for team that hired him. Double bonus if he is local which was the case for his two San Francisco stints. Rigney had history with Minneapolis AAA team which gained him favor. I mostly remember him as leading the Angels. My feelings about him with the Twins are mediocre at best. Inherited a lot of talent but could not adapt to an aging team in 1971. As a kid I could not understand how Martin got fired. While time proved the difficulties of Martin it would have interest how he would have done over 3-4 years.
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